Suggested Topics

Watch as Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni says that the two-Test series against South Africa will be a big test of character for his side.

Johannesburg and Durban host the two matches and India are keen to shed their reputation as poor tourists, having been beaten 4-0 in both Australia and England recently.

They lost the One-Day International series 2-0 and also must make do without Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from all cricket in November.

Dhoni knows however, that his bowlers must produce strong performances if they are to get anything out of the series.

"I think one of the most crucial things will be to bowl well, because, to win Test matches of course you need to score runs but at the end of the day we need to take 20 wickets," he said.

"I think it will be very important to bowl the right areas, get used to the conditions really well, try to win the top of off stump because that's ideal...you know irrespective of where you're playing.

"So I think it's a bit of both, but of course we need to bowl really well and whatever, we start first, if we do that well, it will carry on the confidence of the other department."

He was also quick to play down any fears that recent series defeats would adversely affect his team's preparations.

"It''s not about looking into the past, or thinking about what has happened, you may have done, or had a good series or had a bad series," he added.

"What's important is, the kind of players you have got and the areas that you need to improve upon, so, I think we'll take a bit of positive thinking and, the learnings that we had from the last series that we played, but at the same time, the scenarios when you defend a set of bowlers are very different, and the compete batting lineup has changed so I think it will be a good outing for all of us.

"It will be a test of character and the guys will definitely improve."

Video provided by SNTV and will remain available until 1st January 2014, after which it will be replaced with the latest live video content.